Can you persuade me to buy a Jupiter-12?

[xayraa33]

Get a J-12, they are not as bad as some say.

 

[coolfotog]

gave it to my cat sammy. better than giving it to the photographer who offered me 2 dollars for it.sammy enjoys licking it-especially the protruding rear element.just hope it doesn't contain radioactive materials.

 

[johne]

Lens can be good. See my Moonlight on the Ohio here.
johne

 

[ferider]

Not a bad lens. Still, for not much more money you can get the out-standing Color Skopar 35/2.5, which also is half stop faster.

 

[Florian1234]

I have a late 1970s black Jupiter-12 in ltm which is very nice. See for yourself on my flickr site.

 

[raid]

Not really; there are better options out there.
I have two J-12 lenses where one is OK and one may have a defect.

The lens is not very sharp,and the design will limit you to meterless cameras. Why even think of going that way except to save some money. Instead, look for a well used but clean Japanese 35mm lens.

a. $125 or so ==> Canon 35/2.8
b. a little bit more money ==> CV 35mm with medium fast/slow aperture
c. More money ==> CV 35mm lens with fast aperture or Nikon
d. More money ==> ZM or Leica 35mm lenses

 

[julio1fer]

The Jupiter-12 is one of the finest Russian lenses overall. I have two J-12, one in LTM and the other one in Kiev mount. The Kiev one is outstanding, but the LTM one is pretty good. I had to re-paint black some chipped areas in the back element of the LTM. This is an example of my LTM version:

These are old lenses, so they may have had a history of neglect or tinkering, and there may be bad examples or defective lenses.

Recent CV designs may be better, or easier to handle (that big rear element needs care in handling!) but a J-12 is no junk. Talk to people that have and use a Jupiter-12; some people will merrily give their opinion without having ever shot a roll with a Jupiter-12.

 

[raid]

Julio,
I did not mean to sound as if the lens is "junk",and it could be that the example that I tried out is not a good one. The design is a copy of a Biogon.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Threads like this outline the difference in peoples ideas and expectations of 'good image quality', one mans 'nice picture' is another mans 'bin fodder'. For me - trying to judge lens quality by the images put up on my PC screen is a waste of time, most of them could have been taken with....anything!. From the two or three J12 examples that I've owned there have been a few images that I considered 'nice' enough to keep/print, put in the portfolio - whatever, but on the whole, results were very disappointing. I'm not anti - fsu, having several 50mm lenses that perform very favourably, and I'd love to be able to say the same about a J12.
Dave.

 

[colyn]

Don't do it.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56456

The reason for the spot on the sample photo was over polishing of the rear element (usually with lens cleaning tissue kits or shirts) which resulted in wiping away the coating in the center. These lens are single coated and the coating can be easily damaged.

I've been using J-12's for several years with no problems. Of the 3 that I have owned none needed service and worked fine out of the box but then I bought either local or from a USA seller..

I would recommend fedka.com for a good J-12..

 

[p.giannakis]

That's right Dave, picture quality is very subjective. I just wanted to ask about peoples' opinion who have used it. I think it is quite a good thing that there are so many different answers in this thread.

 

[colyn]

a. $125 or so ==> Canon 35/2.8

Raid..

I've been watching sales on this lens and they normally go for $200-300. Am I missing something?

 

[-doomed-]

Not a bad lens. Still, for not much more money you can get the out-standing Color Skopar 35/2.5, which also is half stop faster.

They also can be had for not much more than a good J-12. I'm planning on getting another CV 35/2.5 since i sold my last one

 

[raid]

Raid..

I've been watching sales on this lens and they normally go for $200-300. Am I missing something?

Colyn: My figures must be outdated. Whatever you see here at RFF is what I view as "current market value". The prices at ebay may be higher. KEH prices are very high for this lens.

 

[colyn]

Colyn: My figures must be outdated. Whatever you see here at RFF is what I view as "current market value". The prices at ebay may be higher. KEH prices are very high for this lens.

Thanks

I haven't seen one here lately but have been watching eBay and yes they go high. Someone decides they have to have it and will bid high.

I saw one at the recent camera show but the seller wanted $800 😱 for it..

 

[raid]

Once in a while there is a RFF member selling this lens for less than $150.

 

[colyn]

Once in a while there is a RFF member selling this lens for less than $150.

Thanks

I'll keep watching.. Don't know why I need one though... I have several 35's..

 

[raid]

I sold my Canon 28/3.5 for some reason, but I kept the Canon 35/2.8 even though I have other 35mm lenses.

 

[konicaman]

Paid about 20£ for a J12, perfect condition. Images are nice and sharp. I only use FSU LTM lenses on FSU cameras, so I can't really compare to other LTM lenses. Sharpness wise I would consider the J12 to be close to my Konica C35 but only a close match when it comes to saturation. J12 is not as sharp as e.g. my S3 or my Oly 35RC - still it is a mighty good piece of glass for 20£...

 

[Sonnar Brian]

My $20 J-12, on the Nikon S2. Pictures are taken mostly wide-open.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83063

At F5.6 and F8, performance is much better. So: for outdoor work, it will be fine. Wide-Open, the Canon and most other wide-angle lenses will outperform it.